Rough ride for Prime Minister

Voters challenged Prime Minister Theresa May as she campaigned in Abingdon – the same day she announced a policy described as the “greatest extension of rights and protections for employees by any Conservative government”.

Mrs May joined Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood at Abingdon market on Monday, when the pair were confronted by an angry voter over disability cuts.

Cathy Mohan, who lives in the town and has mental health problems, told the Prime Minister: “I want you to do something for us…I’m talking about everybody that’s got mental health and who’s got learning disabilities.

“I want them not to have their money taken away from them and being crippled. The fat cats keep the money and us lot get nothing.

“I want my disability living allowance back. I can’t live on £100 a month.”

Maidenhead MP Mrs May replied by saying her party has “a lot of plans for people with mental health”.

Ms Blackwood said: “At Abingdon Market we met shop owners and stall holders many of whom were old friends… [including] Cathy, who made national news with her clear case, based on lived experience, for better care for those with mental health problems and learning disabilities.

“This is what elections are all about, hearing directly from local residents about the issues that matter most to them.”

Liberal Democrat candidate for Oxford West and Abingdon, Layla Moran, said the confrontation proves Mrs May “just doesn’t care about people like Cathy”.

Mrs May’s battle bus clocked up more miles when the Prime Minister visited Oxford Business Park, in Cowley, to meet staff and bosses from technology firms before she spoke to Abingdon residents.

She used her visit to Oxford to announce a ‘new deal for workers’, which will be part of the Conservative manifesto and would be offered should her party be re-elected.

The new deal would include protections for people in the ‘gig economy’, a statutory right to leave for those who need to care for a family member and a commitment to further increases in the national living wage.

She said: “Our plans will be the greatest expansion in workers’ rights by any Conservative government in history.”